EMSA Reviews Five Years of Casualties

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has released its annual review of marine casualties and incidents. Over the period 2011-2015, half of the casualties were of a navigational nature, such as contacts, groundings/strandings or collisions. Amongst occupational accidents, 39 percent were attributed to slipping, stumbling and falling.

Human erroneous action represented 63 percent of accidental events and 67 percent of accidental events were linked to shipboard operations as a contributing factor. In 2015, more than 1,700 cargo ships were involved in marine casualties and incidents that resulted in 64 fatalities, an abnormally high number due to the loss of the general cargo ship El Faro with 33 victims, including five Polish crewmembers. 

Despite the number of fishing vessels lost continuing to increase and reaching more than 25 last year, a significant decrease of fatalities and injuries was noted.

Across the period 2011-2015, the number of fatalities on board passenger ships is dominated by the Costa Concordia (32 fatalities and 17 injured people in 2012) and the Norman Atlantic (11 fatalities and 31 injured persons in 2014). Over the period, 65 percent of the victims on board passenger ships were passengers.

Also across the period 2011-2015, Member States’ investigative bodies have launched 749 investigations and 566 reports have been published. Among the 1,000 safety recommendation issued, 40 percent were related to operational practices, in particular safe working practices. Half of the safety recommendations were addressed to shipping companies, and the rate of positive responses was above 75 percent.

The report is available here.